The present invention relates to methods of manufacturing a coated roll, and more particularly, methods of manufacturing a roll coated with a compressible felt material of the type for supporting strips of sheet metal.
Many manufacturing processes require the use of cylindrical rolls surfaced with a relatively soft material such as an elastomer. For example, in sheet metal processing, such soft rolls are often used to support moving strips of sheet metal without marring or gouging its surface.
However, in some instances it is desirable to form the surface of the roll of a porous material such as a felt of wool, cotton, plastic fiber, or the like. While such porous surfaces are also used to prevent the marring or gouging the material transported, they are also used to clean the surface of the material by removing oil or other liquids which may be present. When coated with an abrasive, such porous surfaces can perform a polishing action on the surface of the material conveyed. Porous rolls are also used as friction bridles for processing strip metal.
Numerous methods exist for the manufacture of cylindrical surfaces from a felt of fibers. However, the presently known techniques have the disadvantage in that the resulting rolls are relatively expensive and mechanically weak. Accordingly, there is a need for a method of manufacturing rolls coated with a felt material which is relatively inexpensive and sufficiently strong to stand up to the stresses encountered in processing sheet steel.